Linux is a free operating system that many people use as an alternative to Windows. Its power, stability and flexibility are what make Linux increasingly popular for both work and play.

Key features of Linux include:

• multitasking: several programs running at the same time
• multiuser: several users on the same machine at the same time (and no multi-user licenses required!) not picky about hardware: runs on many different CPUs, not just Intel, and not just the most powerful new Pentium chips
• TCP/IP networking, including Web browser, ftp, telnet, NFS, etc. for easy Internet access
• has memory protection between processes, so that one program can't bring the whole system down (you don't have to reboot your whole computer just because some program crashed)
• all source code is freely distributable. Plenty of commercial programs are being provided for Linux without source, but everything that has been free, including the entire base operating system, is still free.
• advanced filesystem of its own, which offers filesystems of up to 4 TB, and names up to 255 characters long; transparent access to MS DOS partitions and Windows partitions, as well as Mac, OS/2 and others, via a special filesystem
• CD ROM filesystem which reads all standard formats of CD ROMs
• Windows Native (SMB) client and server
• Appletalk server
• Netware client and server
• Many networking protocols: the base protocols available include TCP, IPv4, IPv6, AX.25, X.25, IPX, DDP (Appletalk), Netrom, and others
• Growing support from software (Oracle, Informix) and hardware (Compaq, Dell, IBM, SGI, HP) vendors